How to Set Up Your Swim, Bike, Run Data Screens
Chances are, you unwrapped some new swim, bike, and run gear on Christmas morning. But before you can take your toys out for a spin, you need to set up your data fields.
Every watch and bike computer comes with default settings, but these devices can be customized so you only see the information you want to see.
Today, we will cover:
How to customize data screens
Suggested data fields for swimming
Suggested data fields for cycling
Suggested data fields for running
*BONUS for Triple Threat Life Club members. Discover this little-known Garmin feature: How to set a nutrition reminder/custom alert message for racing
Why should I customize my data screens?
These days, our devices are capable of doing so much more than the basic watches of the past. They can show you heart rate, pace, cadence, power, mileage, and time. They can tell you how well you slept or your training readiness. You can see weather data, listen to music, and make calls.
It’s great… but all the information overload can be overwhelming. That’s why it’s important to customize the data screens on your devices so you only see the information that’s important to you.
If you’re doing heart-rate based running, you probably want a screen that only shows heart rate and time, not pace.
If you’re a Strava segment seeker, you can set up your bike computer to notify you when a favorite segments starts.
If you need to stay on task in the pool, you can set up a rest timer so you know when to start your next interval.
With my Garmin Forerunner 945, I can track activities like swimming, cycling, running, walking, strength, and hiking. There’s even modes for yoga, kayaking, skiing, and open water swimming.
TIP: A little-known mode is breathwork, which guides you through a short breathing session that’s great for a quick reset when you’re at work or feeling stressed.
If you’re a triathlete, there’s a feature you will become very familiar with- triathlon mode! Instead of starting and stopping separate sessions for swim, bike, and run, this mode takes you through the order automatically, with transitions included. All you have to do is press the lap button when you complete each leg of the race and the next event will begin.
The data screens we’re about to set up will show for each discipline, whether you’re in a race or doing a workout.
How to configure data screens on your device
Different brands of watches and bike computers have their own methods for configuring data screens and the information that’s on them- data fields.
I have a Garmin Forerunner 945, and for most Garmin watches, this is what you do.
Go to Settings
Select Activities and Apps
Pick an activity like Run
Click on Run Settings
Select Data Screens and Edit
Use the edit feature to change the layout of your data screens and add new data fields for pace, time, distance, heart rate, ect.
On my Garmin 520 bike computer, the process is very similar.
Go to Menu and Settings
Select Activity Profiles (You can create a different profile for training, indoor cycling, and racing, but I keep mine all the same.)
Select Training
Click Data Screens to edit fields like speed, cadence, and power.
If you have a COROS, Polar, Suunto, or Apple Watch, click on each brand name for specific instructions.
Suggested data fields for swimming
My data screens are pretty simple for swimming.
1- Interval distance, interval pace, rest timer, and elapsed time/distance
2- Drill log
3- Clock
I find that having a screen with interval data is more helpful than seeing average pace for an entire workout. For example, let’s say I want to swim 300 yards and rest for 20 seconds. I (try) to count the laps I need to get to 300 yards. Then, when I hit the wall, and the lap button, my watch shows my pace for that interval, and the rest timer automatically begins, so I know when to leave for the next interval. I rarely look at interval pace during a workout, but the rest timer is very helpful. Elapsed time or distance is also useful, if you’re doing a 2,000 yard swim or a 45-minute swim.
I love doing swim drills, so drill log is something I use a lot. Typically, a watch will pick up freestyle and backstroke, but if you’re doing kick drills or single-arm swimming, your watch has no idea what’s going on. When I want to do a drill set, I flip to the drill log, click the start button, and swim. Once I hit the wall and stop the drill, I can select how many yards I swam, so it can be recorded properly.
My third screen is just a clock so I can keep an eye on the time, in case I have an appointment or need to get back to work…
Suggested data fields for cycling
On my bike computer, I want to see everything at once. I don’t think it’s really safe scrolling through different screens while riding a bike 20+ mph, but it’s also annoying. So I just have one screen with all my data fields.
1- Time, speed, 3-second power, normalized power, heart rate, cadence, and distance.
It sounds like a lot, but it’s all in little squares so it’s organized. Time is good so you know how far you are into a 3-hour ride without looking at your watch. I also use this to time intervals. I don’t look at speed (miles per hour) often, but I do keep an eye on heart rate (beats per minute), especially during hot races.
TIP: Wrist-based heart rate isn’t very reliable. For more accurate heart rate data, pair your watch or bike computer with a heart rate strap you wear around your chest.
Cadence (revolutions per minute) isn’t something I monitor too much these days, but it was great when I was just starting out to make sure I wasn’t pedaling too slowly and grinding my gears. I do look at it during races when climbing hills or during a workout with big gear repeats and lower cadence. Distance is good because we all want to know how far we’ve ridden. The power fields can be used if you have a power meter on your bike.
Power is a measurement of energy defined in watts, just like a lightbulb. When riding a bike, power is generated in two ways- force and cadence. Average power is an average of the watts you produce during a ride, so it includes all the zeros, like when you’re coasting down a hill or drafting. Normalized power de-emphasizes periods of low output and emphasizes higher output.
For example, think about riding for one hour on a flat course at an average of 150 watts. Now, think about riding for one hour on a hilly course with spikes of 250 watts going uphill and 50 watts going downhill. While the average power might still be 150 watts, the hilly ride is going to feel a lot harder because of the high intensity sections. Normalized power provides a better reflection of what your body is actually feeling over a given duration. That’s why I keep an eye on it during races.
For more information, here’s an article I wrote for Triathlete Magazine about the difference between normalized power and average power.
I also have 3-second power, instead of average power. This “real-time” power setting is more helpful to me than seeing the average of an entire ride.
Suggested data fields for running
People have strong opinions about looking at data while running… Some prefer to run completely by feel, while others like to keep a close eye on their metrics. Regardless of where you stand on this topic, I think we can all agree that we shouldn’t be slaves to our data. If you want to occasionally check in on heart rate or pace, that’s fine, but we shouldn’t be looking at our watches every 5 seconds because we need a device to make decisions for us.
I have two really cool posts coming up with input from one of my triathlon coach friends, Mark Saroni, Head Coach at Paragon Training.
Train with Data, Race by Instinct: Finding Flexibility in Your Triathlon Plan
Why IRONMAN Pacing is an Art, Not a Science
They piggyback off an article I just wrote for Triathlete Magazine (that hasn’t been published yet) about IRONMAN and 70.3 times… But here’s a sneak peek quote.
“The more you can get an athlete to learn how to think and not follow a cookie-cutter plan and turn their brain off, the better they will be. That’s where a coach is important. I worked with a coach once who said, ‘We train with data, not by data.’” - Mark Saroni
I LOVE that. Sorry, I went off on a tangent there, but we’re back!
These are my data screens and data fields for running.
1- Time, distance, pace, heart rate
2- Lap time, lap distance, lap pace, heart rate
3- Heart rate
4- Clock
On my first screen, I have time, which is helpful if I’m doing a time-based run, like 30 minutes. Then, I have distance in case I have a distance-based run, like 6 miles. Then, I have pace, which shows my current pace. This is different from average pace, which shows your pace for an entire run.
I use the second screen when running intervals. For example, if I have a run with 4 x 2 minutes in heart rate zone 4/5, I use this screen to see data that’s separate from the average. I can keep an eye on lap time, so I know the length of my interval; lap distance in case the run is on a specific interval like 1/2 mile; lap pace, which is average pace for the current lap; and heart rate.
I have a third screen that only shows heart rate. I use this during easy runs when I don’t want to see pace or other metrics. (I could add time/distance to this screen as well.) The last screen is clock so I know what time it is.
*BONUS for Triple Threat Life Club members: How to set a nutrition timer/custom alert message for races
If you’re an athlete who forgets to fuel while training or racing, you can use a little-known Garmin feature to set up a nutrition timer. This can be incredibly helpful during long course triathlons, like 70.3 or IRONMAN, a century ride, or even a half marathon or marathon. It’s easy to lose track of time during long distance events, and this can wreak havoc on your nutrition plan.
Click here to sign up for the Triple Threat Life Club and get access to bonus content.